System, method and apparatus for under deck drainage

Abstract

A deck drainage system includes a plurality of hanger clips. Each hanger clip may have a plurality of mounting holes configured to fasten the hanger clip to a support at selected elevations. A soffit may be mounted to the hanger clips without fasteners and located completely below the deck, such that not every hanger clip directly contacts the soffit. A slope of the soffit may be selected by mounting at least two of the hanger clips to the support at different vertical elevations. The soffit may be configured to slope beneath the deck and drain water therefrom in a selected direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A drainage assembly for a deck, comprising:
 a plurality of hanger clips, each having a plurality of mounting holes fastened to a support at selected vertical elevations; 
 a soffit mounted to the hanger clips without fasteners and located completely below joists of the deck; and 
 a slope of the soffit is fixed by at least two of the hanger clips at different vertical elevations relative to the support, such that the soffit slopes beneath the deck and drains water therefrom in a selected direction. 
 
     
     
       2. An assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the hanger clips comprises a body, a mounting portion extending from and substantially perpendicular to the body, the mounting holes are formed in the mounting portion; and further comprising:
 reinforcements extending between the body and the mounting portion. 
 
     
     
       3. An assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each of the hanger clips has first and second clips, both of which extend from the body;
 the first clip is used in a first orientation along a perimeter of the assembly to mount to fascia, and the second clip is used in a second orientation in an interior of the assembly; and 
 the first and second orientations are opposite vertical orientations. 
 
     
     
       4. An assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each hanger clip further comprises a pitch gauge;
 a vertical span of the pitch gauge exceeds a vertical span of the mounting holes; 
 the pitch gauge comprises elements that extend from each hanger clip; and 
 at least some of the adjacent elements vertically straddle adjacent ones of the mounting holes. 
 
     
     
       5. An assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting holes comprise horizontally adjacent pairs of mounting holes that are vertically spaced apart from other ones of the adjacent pairs of mounting holes. 
     
     
       6. An assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the support is a deck joist, or the support is a grid bar attached to deck joists;
 the hanger clips are fastened only to substantially vertical surfaces of the support, and the soffit is located completely below joists of the deck, not vertically between joists of the deck; 
 no shims are required to form the slope of the soffit, and not every hanger clip directly contacts the soffit; and 
 hanger clips along one longitudinal side of the soffit directly contact the soffit, and hanger clips along the other longitudinal side of the soffit do not directly contact the soffit but only directly contact adjacent soffit. 
 
     
     
       7. A soffit for deck drainage, comprising:
 a soffit configured to be mounted to a hanger clip, the soffit having an axis:
 a first rim complementary in shape to a hanger clip rim and configured to mount directly to the hanger clip rim, and 
 a second rim complementary in shape to the first rim and configured to mount directly to the first rim of an adjacent soffit, and the first and second rims extend in a same lateral direction that is transverse to the axis. 
 
 
     
     
       8. The soffit of  claim 7 , wherein the hanger clip rim is configured to nest inside the first rim, and the first rim is configured to nest inside the second rim of the adjacent soffit. 
     
     
       9. The soffit of  claim 7 , wherein each of the first and second rims comprises a hook and a tab extending inward therefrom, and the hooks and tabs of the first and second rims are respectively complementary. 
     
     
       10. The soffit of  claim 7 , wherein the soffit has first and second side walls, and the first and second rims extend from the first and second side walls, respectively. 
     
     
       11. The soffit of  claim 10 , wherein the first side wall is formed at an acute angle relative to a body of the soffit, and the second side wall is substantially perpendicular to the body of the soffit. 
     
     
       12. The soffit of  claim 10 , wherein shapes of the first and second side walls of adjacent connected soffits are configured to pre-load the adjacent connected soffits against each other. 
     
     
       13. A hanger clip for drainage of a deck, comprising:
 a hanger clip configured to be fastened to a support, each hanger clip having an interior clip on one end thereof and configured to be mounted to a soffit at an interior of the deck, and an exterior clip on an opposite end thereof and configured to be mounted adjacent an exterior of the deck. 
 
     
     
       14. The hanger clip of  claim 13 , wherein the hanger clip has a vertical series of mounting holes. 
     
     
       15. The hanger clip of  claim 13 , wherein the interior clip is configured to directly contact a first rim of the soffit, and the interior clip is configured to not directly contact a second rim of the soffit. 
     
     
       16. The hanger clip of  claim 15 , wherein the interior clip is configured to nest inside the first rim. 
     
     
       17. The hanger clip of  claim 13 , wherein the interior clip comprises a flat portion extending from the hanger clip, and a hook extending from the flat portion; and
 the hook comprises a convex portion that curves from the flat portion toward the hanger clip, and a concave portion that curves from the convex portion away from the hanger clip. 
 
     
     
       18. The hanger clip of  claim 13 , wherein the hanger clip comprises a body, a mounting portion extending from the body, and the mounting holes are formed in the mounting portion;
 the mounting portion is substantially perpendicular to the body; and further comprising: 
 reinforcements extending between the body and the mounting portion. 
 
     
     
       19. The hanger clip of  claim 13 , wherein the hanger clip comprises:
 a pitch gauge configured to assist an installer to adjust the slope of the deck drainage assembly; 
 a vertical span of the pitch gauge exceeds a vertical span of mounting holes in the hanger clip; 
 the pitch gauge comprises elements extending from the hanger clip, and the pitch gauge is used to selectively position the hanger clip relative to a lower surface of a support to form a slope of the soffit.